pics: a sunny Sunday afternoon in Hawkins County... (Church Hill, Rogersville: house, construction)

[kamoshika]

The weather in NE Tenn. was absolutely perfect this afternoon with 70-degree temps, crystal-clear views and sweet, rain-washed air. I drove down to Church Hill to visit my parents, stopping off at Laurel Run Park to check out the wildflower display.

View of area just before entering the park


Gated entrance to the park


Boy fishing from park riverbank


One of several picnic shelters at the foot of the mountain


Wood poppy


Woodland phlox


Dutchman's breeches, one of my favorite wildlowers


Rue anemone


Trout lily


Field off Hwy. 346 near Surgoinsville


Entrance to idyllic old farm on River Rd. near Surgoinsville

[nitneylion]

You did it again....great pics!

[pineywoods]

Encore...Encore!

[AlisonL]

Beautiful! Keep up the great work.

[jjbradleynyc]

Wow! Great shots. I love Laurel Run! I grew up going there. They shot the movie "The River" there--with Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson. They built a house and a barn, weathered them, and left them as part of the park. BUT, they were burned down shortly afterwards (arson--they think).
Anyway, I grew up in Surgoinsville/Church Hill/Rogersville and "don't know what you got til it's gone" is so true! Gorgeous countryside!! TN is amazing.

[heathdawn]

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful pics, they make me want to just pack up the car and head up there.

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by Tennesseestorm

Stunning photos as always... I am ashamed to post mine that I took today!

Thanks, but I've had the same thoughts about my photos after seeing those by LauraC and others who have real talent. Really, though, it's all too easy to point, shoot & capture NE Tenn.'s natural beauty, even for rank amateurs like us! That's a super shot of the dog, BTW.

Here's one more from last Sunday, a wonderful horse farm on Surgoinsville's River Road. It overlooks the river and has a great mountain view to boot:



jjbradleynyc, my dad grew up in Goshen Valley and I still have several relatives who live on GV Road. I've always loved Laurel Run Park and one of my aunts & her husband are actually the new caretakers there. But last weekend, it broke my heart to see that several home lots have been or are being carved out of the wooded, steep mountainside just a little ways before you get to the park. The largest display of Virginia bluebells I've ever seen has pretty much been wiped out in the process.

The farmland directly across the river from the park is already being developed, as you probably already know. But at least the park itself is in very good condition and probably just as you remember it from your last visit. I played a small role in the construction of Kiner Hollow Trail that runs from the back of the park all the way to Bays Mtn. Park's Indian Pipes Trail; it was completed in '03, I think. It's easily my favorite trail on the mountain.

[Tennesseestorm]

Thats a stunning photo at the end too!

Yeah, that dog is "Rattler"... He was there in that area and posing, so I thought I would snap a shot of him. He is a good boy. He was a stray that came a couple of years ago and has came here to stay I guess. When he first came he had fishing hooks/tackle in his fur and he was rattling, so one of my cousins called him "Rattler". He goes somewhere for hours, but he always comes back when he is hungry. We have became attached to him and I hope nothing happens to him, we already have four dogs, so you can see we love them.

Originally Posted by kamoshika

That's a super shot of the dog, BTW.

[lauragizzi]

Holy molly, are those the most beautiful pictures i have ever seen!!!

its sooooooooooo beautiful there... they look almost fake its so pretty!

thank you for sharing those wonderful pictures!

i cant wait to come to tennessee

[jguillot]

You've got talent with cameras as well. Great pictures! Thanks for sharing. My wife sends her thanks also as she loves flowers. I can't wait for the next few years to go by, so we can be in Tennessee as well.